“Thank you,” Victoria said. “You’re welcome.” The flight attendant nodded and continued on her way. For now, everything was fine. Perhaps the passengers’ complaints were exaggerated, perhaps they were just isolated incidents. But about an hour after takeoff, the atmosphere on board changed. From the back of the cabin came the sound of a child crying. Victoria turned around. A young mother was trying to soothe a baby who was clearly fussy. The child was about two years old. He was screaming and squirming in his mother’s arms.
One of the flight attendants approached them. “Ma’am, you need to calm the child down,” she said sternly. “He’s bothering the other passengers.” “I’m trying.” The mother looked bewildered and tired. “He’s just fussy, he’s teething. That’s no excuse.” The flight attendant crossed her arms over her chest. “You should have prepared for the flight, brought calming toys.” Victoria frowned. The flight attendant’s tone was harsh, completely unacceptable. This is not how Asure Wings employees should behave.
The mother grew even more agitated. The child cried louder. Other passengers began to turn away. Someone clicked their tongue in disapproval. Victoria wanted to get up, approach, intervene somehow, but she stopped herself. She’s here undercover. She can’t reveal herself. No, now she needs more information. The situation was resolved when another flight attendant, older, clearly higher in rank, approached the mother and kindly offered her warm milk for the child. The little boy gradually calmed down, but a bad taste remained.
Victoria mentally noted the rude flight attendant’s name. Her name tag read Clara Mitell; she’d have to deal with her later. The flight continued. Victoria dozed, gazing out the window at the clouds. Below, the green fields of France drifted by. Then mountains began to appear—the Alps. But with about 20 minutes to go before landing, what Victoria had embarked on this whole adventure for happened: turbulence. The plane shook quite violently. The passengers gasped in fear. Victoria knew this was normal.
especially as they approached the mountainous coast. But for ordinary passengers, it’s always stressful. Captain Hartley’s voice crackled over the loudspeakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have entered a zone of turbulence. Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts.” His tone was irritated, almost annoyed, as if the passengers were to blame for the bad weather. The plane continued to shake. Someone among the passengers laughed nervously. The elderly woman next to Victoria took her husband’s hand. “Everything will be all right, my dear,” he reassured her.
Victoria glanced mechanically at the wings. They were flapping in the air currents, but this was normal. The aircraft’s structure was designed for such loads. There was no danger, but suddenly there was a loud crack. The cabin lights went out for a moment. Then the emergency lights came on. Passengers screamed. Someone yelled. “What happened?” voices called out. The flight attendants looked bewildered. They glanced at each other, clearly unsure what to do. Victoria felt adrenaline surge through her veins.
Something went wrong. She heard the engines running. They were running smoothly, so it wasn’t critical. Possibly an electrical problem. The captain’s voice came back over the loudspeakers. This time he sounded nervous. “We have a technical issue. There is no emergency. We are preparing to land and communication has been lost.” Victoria frowned. That was terrible communication. The captain should have calmed the passengers, explained the situation, not just spouted disjointed sentences. The plane began its descent.
The turbulence intensified. Passengers gripped the armrests. Some prayed. The woman next to Victoria sobbed softly. Victoria placed her hand on her shoulder. “Everything will be all right,” she said calmly. “It’s just turbulence. The plane is perfectly fine. A couple more minutes and we’ll land.” The woman looked at her gratefully. The landing was rough. The plane touched down with a loud thud. Passengers were jolted forward. The engines roared in reverse, but within seconds the speed dropped and the plane taxied down the runway toward the terminal.
The passengers breathed a sigh of relief. Someone even applauded. Victoria sat with gritted teeth. What she had just witnessed was unacceptable. Poor communication, crew panic, rude treatment from the flight attendant. These are not Asure Wings’ standards. This is a failure. When the plane came to a stop and they announced that they could unfasten their seatbelts, the passengers began to stand up and retrieve their luggage. Victoria also stood up, picked up her backpack, and slowly made her way toward the exit. The flight attendants were waiting at the door.
They were formally saying goodbye to the passengers. Victoria looked at them closely. Young women, tired, tense. One of them, Clara Mitell herself, wasn’t even looking at the passengers; she was simply muttering mechanically to God. Victoria left the plane. The warm Mediterranean air enveloped her. The sun was shining brightly. She went down the steps and headed for the terminal. Pedro appeared beside her in a matter of minutes. “Victoria, are you alright?” he asked quietly. “Yes, but did you see what happened there?” “I saw it. It was unprofessional.” Pedro frowned.
